The Brussels Post, 1889-8-2, Page 2THE BRUSSELS POST.
AUGUST 2, 1880,
sesioneuessiestiotsseiesTesamenatemiemeW
HENRY MJRBERT'S STORY
Of the Death of Theodore Knight.
BX HexItx Heuer n, Ie Tux "New retie Heneete
CHAPTER I11.
I own I had been impressed and stirred by
who he said or by hie manner of raying it,
In my emotion I forgot the hundred excel.
lenbremona I ted to urge spinet him, A
Wfaer man than I, however, observing how
bhe aubjeat agitated hie interlouuter would
ave dropped it, introducing a new one. I
Obeli never cease moat bitterly to reproeoh
myself for my folly in pursuing ib. if our
eonvereation had stopped at that point
the nob, the oxime, that followed `fb would
very probably never have been committed.
In my unwiedomI said : —"Wen, even so ?
Whab of it? Why should you fear death so ?
What is there co be afraid of ? Yee, indubit-
ably, each mother's eon of us may die at any
moment. Bub why shouldwe dread death,
shrink from death ? The bodily agony, even
if supreme, cannot be of lou duration•
A g, and
as for the future life if there is one we have
am reason to erpeob that it will be)worse than
the present."
"Ah, there la jueb the point I" cried
Knight. "Phe future life 1 You say, if there
is one. I am convinced there is."
"Well, even so 1 What of it ? What I fall
to understand ie why you should fear it.
Whab shadow of reason have you for imagine
ing that it will be leas endurable than the
life we know here ?"
"It is not a pastime of imagining, Nor-
bert ; ib is a matter of demonstrable fact.
In the future life -here is the horrible
knowledge that lies upon my conscience
day and night, torturing it like a coal of
'fire, racking me with an utter horror and
dread of death—in the future life my por.
tion will be hell."
I looked at him. His face was livid.
His lips were drawn book until they expos-
ed the teeth, His fingers were clenched.
His eyes stared fixedly a0 the wall in front
of him, with a light in them that was almost
'maniacal.
"Hell! What? What ? Good Lord,
Knight, what ails you ? To make you talk
like Chet, to make you look like that? Are
you hoaxing me? Are you acting? Or are
you imbecile? Hell 1 What do you think
'you mean ?"
"I am not hoaxing you, nor acting a part,
'nor am I imbecile. I mean what I say,
absolutely, exactly, After my death I shall
:'find myself in hell."
" May I be permitted to ask a ques-
tion ?"
" Twenty if you like."
" Very well. Sinoe when have you be
Moved in hell ?"—you who, of all rational-
ists, used to be the extremest ?"
"Since I cut my wisdom teeth. Sinoe my
'eyes were opened to the obvious. I never
'was more of a rationalist than when, pink.
ing up my courage, I dared to follow my res.
-son to the farthest depth ib would lead me
and then reoogniaed the necessity, the Inevi•
'tableneass of hell.
"Ideclare Kni hbr I think k ou are being
•coni mind. What reactionary hal
to thio
9
"Those of us who are enlightened, in this age
of the world's development, have seen clear-
ly that given any personal future life at all
it most be bub a gradual and natural sequel
10 this life—a logical oontinuabion of It—
that bhe soul will begin there where ib left off
'here ; that it is the heieht of absurdity to
'expect an Immediate and immense branala
lion co a heaven or to a hell. at you --1
'Do you live in the nineteenth century or are
you floundering in the ignorance and the
auperotition of the twelfth? You talk of
hell. Well, taking hell for granted, what
crimes are yen guilty of, what deadly eine
have you oommitted that you deem yourself
doomed to hell?"
"None that I know of. I have committed
no crimes, to my knowledge ; and I believe
my worst eine have been venial. Bub that
is neither here nor there, or rather—no, that
again ie just the point. I will speak of that
in a moment. What strikes me at present
is bhe sublime conceit of ' those of us who
are enlightened.' le hat new and +penial
Tevelation have you received—you who
are enlightened—that you deaoribe with
such confidence and such complacency the
nature of future life? Oh, the comfortable
the flattering theology of men 1 The
future life shall be bub a natural and gradual
sequel to this life—a logioal toutinnatlon
.of it. We shall begin there where we left
•off here— smoothly, easily, without break,
without violence 1 I tell you, man, in the
future life every valley shall be exalted and
every mountain and bill shall be made low,
and the orooked shall be made straight, and
the rough placer plain. There le no reason,
no purpose, no justice, no exouaa, for a
-future life whioh shall be but an easy and
-comfortable continuation of this ; so that I,
•who have the start and advantage here, shall
have the eternal start, the eternal advantage
over yonder poor devil at this moment beg-
ging, or perhaps stealing, or it may be even
murdering In the streets. In the streets,
Norbert, shivering under the open sky, in
'body and mind and soul low and evil and
loathsome, while I sit here in my +safe house,
betore my fire, well fed, well clad,olean and
virtuous and beloved. The valley must be
exalted, the mountain and hill laid low ; the
the crooked muab be made straight, the rough
places plain. They that sow in teara shall
reap in joy. There mush be a heaven and
a hell to correct the hrequalitiee, to atone for
the injusbioes that we ore in the midst of
here, Hell i Heaven I Of mune I don't
mean a hell of fire and brimstone, a heaven
of music and glory. I mean a hell and heave
en of the spirit ; two opposite condition++ of
the soul."
Knight had spoken with auoh skater-
ity it was impossible nob to take him
Seriously and answer him respectfully,
Therefore I eaid;—"Well, granting all that,
granting hell, heaven—everything you wish
—I have not yet understood, and I am
'particularly iatereated to learn, why you
anticipate hell as your indidvival lot . You
tell me you are guilty of no crimes And
and that your worm sins have been venial.
.1, who know you pretty well, should say
that you have led a aingularly moral life.
Why, then, hell for you?"
"As I raid a moment ago, the very point
of bho matter lies right there, I am rich,
' Norbert; and it is easier—ib le easier for a
' camel to go through the eye of a needle than
for a rioh mem to enter into the kingdom
'•'of God."
x losb patience, "Oh Dome Knight," I pro.
bested, "You don't mean to say that you
believe euoh—euoh-- I hesitated for a
ward.
"Such what?" demanded Knight, turning
large, enrprisod eyes upon my fade.
tta"Such—oh, well, you know, that's utterly
Unreasonable, That'o noneoaee, Baoaueo
a man Mottoes to be rich—because he hag
inherited wealth 01legitimaebly acquired it
—he must bo excluded from the kingdom of
'Clodl dl! yea know as Well as I do tbat'e
preppo_etorout,"
4'Umreseonablol •Preposterous?" ifttight
repeated, with the air of a man who mie-
trueta hie hearing.
"Exaotly so."
"You—you forget, perhaps, setae said it?"
"No, I remember perfeotly who said 11."
"And do you venture to emit of any
smallest word that fell 4rom Hie lips that it
ie unreasonable or preposterous?"
"It was to your construction of the word
that I applied those berme, It wasn't meant
literally.
"Can you tall me of any figurative oon•
etruotion thab ib will bear?"
{'The 'eye of a needle' referred to was a
famooa gateway, through wbioh Ib wee dif-
ficult for a loaded camel to pees—difficult,
mark you, but not impossible. It means,
therefore, that the average riot man may
have some difficulty gabting into the King,
dem of heaven 8
because the averq a rich
u eproud and un
man le apt to be pre ever• g
OAS."
" A deceit and a sham, Norbert," Knight
cried;"invented by ease•loving ecalesiastioa,
themeelvee rich, to the end of reoonoiliog
their unchristian luxuries to ao h shreds of
Christianity as they had left. Accord.
ing to that reading, Cbrisb'e declara-
tion is virtually meaningleea, and I think wo
shall be safe in assuming bhab Chrisb always
meanb aomething when he spoke."
" Well, then, it means a bad rioh man."
" It doesn't say so. As ib stands it covers
all rich men."
"Wall, then, ib is unreasonable. It never
could have been so meant by Chiret. The
notion that all riot men, good and bad,
withoutedleoriminatfon, are destined to per-
dition is monstrous. I know no sane person
who will maintain the contrary,"
" I am sane."
I was beginning very seriously to doubt
this. Bub I confined myself to saying,
"Well?"
" Wall, I am sane, and I will maintain
the contrary, Ib was meant literally ; ib is
literally true. It is easier for a oamel to go
through the eye of a needle than for a rich
man to enter into the kingdom of God."
" Which is a mere repetition of your pre•
vices assertion, not justified by the faintest
scintilla of argument. I should bo curious
to hear your reasons, though, if you have
any. It's a singular thesis. I should be
interested to know what oiroumetancee you
can allege in support of it. But, waiving
that for the moment, there's a manifaat way
out of your dffioultles. Yon believe your.
self doomed to hell because you are rich.
Well and good. Sell all you have and give
it to the poor."
' Ah, yes, if I could—if I could. But
there's the worst of ib. I can't."
"Can't? Oh, wall, then yon simply look
the courage of your convictions and hell will
serve you right. If a man sees hie salvation
tangible before him, but in too weak to
grasp it, he has no one but himself to blame
if he Ie damned,"
n
Oh Norbert,you are o
b t
rudeness
itself.
Materialist that
you are, you conceive by
the word 'riches' material riches only.
Those indeed I could give to the poor. But
that would not mend matters in any smallest
degree. The poor would remain as poor as
ever ; I should still be a rich man. Material
wealth is nothing. It is my apiritual
wealth—my wealth of soul and mind—whioh
damns me. That I oan neither sell nor give
away, nor sequester, nor in any wise forteit
nor get rid of. That is entailed upon me.
So long as I draw the breath of life in thin
body I shall be a rioh man, and that is my
damnation. Superior parte and culture,
bhe love of the woman who to•morrow will
be my wife, refinement, virtuous prediopoei-
tions—there le my wealth—I cannot alienate
I looked at the man in amazement. " I
give you up," I faltered. "So well as I
oomprehend it, you mean that you are
to be damned for your virtues 1 It's a para.
dox which I own myself unable to cope with.
Go on. I am waiting to be convinoed that
you are not insane."
"I Bald at the outset, Norbert, that you
would probably not understand me. I said,
too, that perhaps it would be batter for
you if you should nob understand me ; better
for your peace of mind, I meant. But
then, on second thought++, I said, it is per-
haps always beat in the long run to recog
nine and 0onfe00 the truth. Thus far you
have not underetood me ; I will show you
the truth so vividly that you shall nob for•
get nor doubb it ever again. If you like,
mind ! I make that stipulation; for I warn
you beforehand that the fruit of the tree of
knowledge is bitter, and that if you taste
of it it will poison your life as it has poison-
ed mine, It's for you to choose."
" Go ahead," I said, lightly, "I guess I
ora ++band it."
" Ab your peril, remember. Well, here ;
you cried cue just now, ' he expects to be
damned for hie virtues 1' and you derided
that for a paradox. Thereby you showed
that on these subjects you have done no in-
dependent bhinking • that you have swallow-
ed whole the empty husks of formulas whioh
constitute the diet of those people who take
their oreeda at eeoond hand, their theologies
by hearsay. You showed that you still pro•
fees the ethical doctrine which deems it meet
and proper that a man should be rewarded
for the good he does and punished for the
evil; raved for his virtues and damned for
hie sins. Now I nay that Is indeed a paradox
—s fallacy, repugnant to the feelings of every
man who has a sena of fair play, leadmis•
aiblo to the mind of every man who will give
the matter two minutes of feorlees thought.
For consider a little. It proceeds upon
the assumption of a free will,—a free will,
and consequent moral reeponaibility. But
you, who know a few principles of
0010noe, you know ae well ae I do that
there is no such thing, that there oan be no
such thing, bhab no such thing is conceivable
in man, as a free will, nor, therefore, a
moral responsibility. You know bhab we
are one and all of un under the iron and all
exolueive dominion of Necessity ; that we
ran no more help doing what we do than we
oan help being what we are. According to
bhe law of oauee and offoot, you know thab
what I do is the unavoidable result of what
I am at bhe moment when I do it ; and you
know that what 1 am at that moment is
the unavoidable result of my heredity and
my ebvironmont; in other words, of my two
seta of experioncee—my preoonooptnal ex.
perlenoea—that is, the cxperieuoa of my an.
°eater+baokto the beginning of life, and my
postoonoeptual experience's—that le, my ex,
perienee0 since the planting of the seed
from whioh I sprang. You know that I am
no more a000untable for my moral Matador,
nor for my intellectual abilities, than I am
for the structure of my body or the Dolor of
my ogee. You know that the sinner is
no more to blame for hie sins than the good
man is to praise for his good deeds ; that the
idiot is no more to blame for hie
n infirmity
than the philosopher le to praise for his
genius; that the hunohbaok is no more to
blame for hie deformity than the grenadier
le to prelim for his handsome figure. You
know, m one word, that we do not make
ourselves, If I am an Idiot it la dna to my
heredity and my environment', which have
given me this abruptero of brain ; if I am a
poet it le due to my heredity and my environ.
meat, which have given me that structure of
brain. By the same token, if I am a knave
it is because my heredity and my environ-
ment have shaped me thus and so; if I am a
hero it is beoauee my heredity and my en.
virovmenb have +hoped me so and thus• Is
the tiger to blame who waxes wroth at the
scene of blood ? Can the poor begat help it?
1f I pink a pookeb ibis bemuse I cannot heap
io; if I out a throat it ie because I eaanoe
help it ; if I save a life it ie bemuse I can-
not help it; it I write a good book it le be.
cause I cannot help ib; if I ruin my life
through a folly of my own oommiaeion it is
because I manta help it. In no case am I
to blame, In no Dasa to praise. Factor Neuer+,
city, and you obtain Heredity and Environ-
ment—well and good. You know all this
as well as I do. Now here la what I want
you to explain .—If yonder wretched wife
beater, thief, cutthroat, liar, besotted brute,
if he is nob to blame for hie misdoing++, since
he cannot help
them,since h
e is the
poor
prisoner and victim of areseelty,
why,I beg
you to explain, why should he be damned
for them? Why not ae justly dame him
for the color of hie hair?"
"Just so I Why, indeed?" oried I. My dear
Knight, you have expended a vain) deal of
energy and inge"uiby In knocking over a
man of straw. I have not said that he
eho'rld be damned. I say no one should be
damned, that the very notion of hell is in
itself intolerable. But oerbainly I can't Bee
why, if the einnor ion't to be damned for his
eine, the virbuoue man should be damned
for his virtues, He can't help ib, either.
As justly damn him for the oolor of hie hair."
"No, no : etop there. Yon go a step too
far, You forget, you ignore, the prinolple
of fair play, of tarn and turn about. For
one moment look with me upon the world
around us ; contemplate a little the life
drama in whioh we are actors. See I Here
is a world in whioh one man, thanks nob to
himself, bub thanks to Neoeeeity—to his
heredity and his environment—to his birth,
to hie inherited faculties and predispositions,
to hie education—grows up to be healthy in
body, strong in intellect, virbuoue in his
impulses, happy, rich; riot, it may be, in
the material comforts of life, but richer in
spiritual wealth, in bio clear conscience,
his high and able mind, hie,generone heart,
in the love and the reaped which he ie em-
powered to win of his fellows. And here,
Norbert, here in thin same world, another
man , thanks nob to himself, elbher, bub
thanks again to Necessity, to Ma heredity
and his environment—hie birth, his inherit.
ed faculties and predispositions, kb (duo,
tion—grows up diseased in body, dull in
mind, depraved in soul, a ooward, a
liar, a criminal despised and rejected
of all decent men, poor in all the good
Mingo of life, poor in spirit. Now there
—there is an obvious, groes, terrible in-
justice. Ie there nob? Horrible to think of,
horrible to admit, yebabeolntely undeniable.
You will go with me in saying that. A
blood ourdling, soul sickening injustice.
And in view of it, one of two things we muab
believe be true—either thi
eO
w old is a moa •
e
trosit crested and o
y governed by an arab
devil ; or else somehow, some time beyond
the grave, the injustice that appalls us here
must be amended, atoned for, wiped oat.
Either this life drama is a wanton tragedy
of woe and evil—an ad bashes epeotaole de-
vised for the gratification of the arch fiend—
or else in the fifth act, the acb upon which
the curtain of death shall rise, Justice shall
come neon the scene, and exalt the valley
and lay low the hill, giving to the poor wretch
who has had hie hell of pain and evil here his
fiing ab heaven ; to me, who have had my
heaven here, my taste of hell.They that
sow in tears shall reap in joy, and vice
versa. Blessed are they that mourn, for
they shall be comforted, Blessed are bhe
poor in spirits, for their's is the kingdom of
heaven. Into that kingdom ib le easier for
a camel to go through the eye of a needle
than for a rich man to enter."
(T0131100110I111700)
Native Sheep of America,
At the time the Spaniards first visited
South Amerioa there were no animals in the
country whioh exactly oorreeponded to the
sheep of Europe; but they found in Peru and
in the regions of bhe Andes several species
of animals to whioh they gave the name
sheep—cameras de lab%erre—but whioh the
Aborigines called the llama, the alpaca, the
guanaco, and the vicuna. The two first-
named varieties were even then nowhere to
be seen in a wild state, but were domestic
animals in the servioe of the natives.
While there is a general similarity between
these several classes, yet each one seems to
form a distinct genus. The llama and the
alpaca are of various colors, and sometimes
speckled. The guanaco and bbe vicuna are
generally of a Bingle oolor—brown,approaoh-
ing to red. The llama and the alpaoaare said
to be so reeigned!to their state of domeebiofby
that tbey are eoaroaly able to take care of
themselves or live in a wild state. The
guanaco and vicuna prefer the wild state.
Good For Evil.
Cato said that wise men have more to learn
of fools than fools of wise men. Probably
he meant bleat, being wide, they would learn
more. Everywhere the wino man is theapb
learner ; and the lesson of avofdanoe is one
whioh wisdom will over glean from the
exhibition of folly. .While the examples of
good and great mon are powerful in winning
us bo love and to imitate theft exaellenoiea,
those of au oppooite description may oxer.
else a warning and restraining effect, The
cruelty which excites horror and indignation
may lead no to oultivate kindness and nom -
passion. The selfiehneso whioh appears in
ouch repellent features may cause us to
dread and shun it, The fretful and peevish
temper, so disagreeable to witness, may
stimulate us to be cheerful and patient.
The sight of dishonesty, with Ito lamentable
results, may be the turning -point in the
career of one jueb beginning to eworve from
stria rectitude. Certain it ie thab we may,
if we will, in some of these wage, reap bar-
veete of good from the evil that is all around
1.10.
Wrong Drains.
Tho rsapohsiblliby of any wrong action
begins long before rho action itself is 0om.
mitred ; di deals with the ermine and the
growth of motives. Ib i0 not enough to ray
wo Mould reatet the motive whioh urge++ tie
to do wrong, This 10 of oourso true ; bat ib 10
also true, than wo should nob have permitted
the motive to attain such strength, Wa know
nob what partioular temptation may mail
ae next month or next year ; but wo ran so
order our present life aa to Weaken wrong
de0iros and Withdraw the fordo of evil Mile.
0m000.
TAB MYSTERIES OF AYPIVOFISM, IMPERIAL FEDERATION,
The Swage force Which is Puzzling the
Scientific World,
When a person hat become thoroughly
hypnotized, 0ay0 a writer in the New York
World, he le bub au automaton, moving,
aobiug, thinkiug at the will of the operator,
who can produce any serrotion that he may
desire, He oan destroy sensation and pro-
duce complete antoathosia. Tho fingers of a
+subject can be sewed tegebbor, drawing
thread bhrough the flesh, and the victim
will remain an amused spectator, You oan
render any sense hyperemthetio so that in.
tense pain will be felt ab the elfghtesb touch.
Every erne ran be Intensified, though no
other person in the room oan be heard rave
the operator, yet the faintest whisper by him
will be heard diatinotly sore" a wide room,
A watch in his hand oan be heard at a dis.
tunoe of thirty or forty feet diabinotly, and
located even when the subject is blindfolded
Memory )e made exoeedingly acute, so that
things which in a normal state are forgobten
are easily remembered and recalled. A
young man who had lost a email arbiole was
made bo remember where he had ib last, and
was sent for 11, and returnedw ith it as a
matter of course though he had arched
Ion and painfully ;marchedg for ib when in a normal
state cf mind. It Is Impossible to hypnoaize
on idiot, but not impossible to hypnotize a
feeble-minded parson, and there is a use of
it indicated in that respect whioh promises
development to ouch in acuteness and mental
strength,
Ib can bo made the instrument of many
crimes. At the request of a physician present
I suggested to a young lady whom 1 had
hypnotized that oho was suffering with a
sore throat and pneumonia, and that she bad
a high fever and was ill. Her pulse Iaareao-
ed so rapidly that in the apaoe of five manes
the physician said that the increase waa at
the rata of forty beats to the minute. It is
my opinion that I could have killed her by
increasing the hearb'e ration, and0ohat a phy-
sician would have signeda certificate of death
by pneumonia or paralysis or the heart,
She was of a gentle, kindly disposition,
and yet, hyponatized, would oommlt mur-
der ab the operator's direction as readily ea
she would eat an apple. A paper dagger
was planed in her hand and she was instruct-
ed to kill a person present, and she stabbed
him with bub little hesitation, and on being
awakened had no remembrance of doing the
deed. She would have oommibted suicide
with the same indifference as she committed
the murder and made no plea against it,
The story that comes from France that snob
a thing wait done and that the operator who
commanded the suicide le to be hanged for
murder is all a probable thing, whether the
story published is an invention or a faob.
A business man who could be hypnotized
would write a cheek at the command of the
operator and then forget ever having done
it.
The whole phenomena of faibh Dare and
so-called Christian science lie in the domain
of this new selene. Whatever there Is in
thoughb transference is here,
Paoifio Cables.
If -a million dollars have really been
pledged ed in San S n Fronciaoo
for laying
an ocean
telegraph o
t IIonolnlu
g lb is a good start.
P
g
Parhspe its first effect will be to stir up Bri•
bleb Columbia, Australia, and New Zealand
to push ahead their own larger project of
the same kind. Their cable is to go from
Vancouver to the Sendwloh Islands, thence
tFanning Island, thence to Samoa, thence
to the Pips, thence to New Zealand, whioh
ie already connected by wire with Australia.
This is nob the shortest route from the Do-
minion, bub it i0 about the most advantage-
ous. It lands in two neutral groups, the
Hawaiian and the Samoan, although its
other intermediate stations and the terminal
pointe are Bribieh. But will two telegraphs
to the Sandwich Islands pay? Will even
one ? There was a measure in the Fiftieth
Congress subsidizing the Amerioan:scheme
on the ground of its etrategio advantages;
bub there is no likelihood of its being once
easeful. The present activity in the project
is probably due;to bhe hope of anticipating
the interooloeial plan, and abeorbing the
burliness by being first on the ground.
Sharp Teeth.
Yankees are ingenious, but they have not
yet discovered everything. Mr. Eden des.
oribes an amusing triok of the Ohineee fisher-
men in Australian waters, which it is doubt.
ful whether any (Jape Cod skipper would
ever have thought of trying.
Before the net was dragged up I had notice
ed +several curious blank switches appearing
above the surface. They puzzled me not a lit-
tle until I discovered that they were the
tails of "stingarees." These are large, fiat
fishes like the skate,wibh a prodigiously long
bail armed near the base with bbree long,
serrated spikes which they oan rales or de.
pres0 at pleasure.
The otingarees are very troublesome in a
net, for if you haul slowly enough to give
them time they fasten upon the bottom by
suction, and ib takes a carb•horse to pull
them off.
The Chinese managed them very cleverly
at suoh times, however, getting hold of bhe
end of the bail and biting it severely. The
pain, I eupp000, caused the doh to relax He
hold, when a sudden jerk broke the spell.
A Neat Bit of Sentiment.
Brander Me.tbhewe trifle a good story 'of
the othioal influence of the East on the wild
and woolly West. A young Bostonian,
reared beneath the brow of Beeson Hill and
educated at Harvard, went to Texas and
turned cowboy. He rapidly ohook off the
outward resemblances of tenderfooted Haste
ern habit. Rrugh•bearded, leather•clad,
sombrero as wide ae the widest, 42•oalibre
Colts••on his hips, he was as wild as the
wildest. Yet within hie bosom still burned
bhe flame of Boston culture and refinement.
One day he was riding with a stranger
aor000 the prairie. Turning his head sud-
denly (he was alightly ahead) he saw his
companion made a suspicious motion toward
his hip pookeb. Withoub hesitation he draw
his revolver and shot him. ,The stranger
dropped like a log. The cowboy dismounted
and looked at the body of hie viotim,
"I wonder if he was really going to shoot
me 2" ho ooliloquized. "I'll see."
Turning the body over he discovered a
fink of whiskey protruding from the
pothole
"Poor fellow 1" said he in a tone of re-
gret. "I've mado a mistake, I've killed
an lnnooenb man, and a gentleman at that.
fie waon't going to shoot me • ho was going
to invite me to havea,drink. •'Well:,"he eigh-
ed, drawing his eloeve morose hie mouth'
'the last wiohts of the deceased shall be reo-
pooted."—Washington Poet,
Reducing; the BMWs.
Tam—Hello, Tagg, Whab'e that sign on
your front door for, "No Adtnibtanoe Ex.
Dept on Business?"
Tagg—Thera have been 0o many young
This is the time of the year acalling on
when the s men m dna trete and their
gar barrel le hardly a match for the straw. visite have been eo fruitless that I have
berry box, adopted titin moan to ream the surptue,
No Sat Scheme but a Natural Development
Lute the British t'onstitttion;
Lord Horaoholl, in the absenoo of Lord
Resabory, presided at the a11000! dinner of
the Imperial Faderatiouisoo in London, and
bin prinulpal spoeoh is thus raper ted in "T1he
Colcniee and India ; "
The chairmen, Lord klereobell, on tieing
to propose the boast of the evening—" Impo•
rir.l
Federation"—wasrooeived with loud and
prolonged oheora, Ile said there were nob a
few parsons who regarded the Imperial
Federation League with derision and con-
tempt, and who looked upon it simply se the
embodiment of an idea, Well, it was not at
all a mean or lneiguifioanb idea of which the
league was the embodiment, that these
groat nation, of whom ib had been
said that England was the augusb
mother, instead of drifting further apart,
should be drawn into closer and more in.
timate relationship. (Cheers,) To believe
bhab with this closer relavionehip there would
be an increase in unity of sentiment and ao-
tion for the benefit of the entire Empire
Was an idea whioh ocutd well bo described
his frionds
as a grand one He differed from
subject
who had previously spoken on the eab)
of a practical eohome of federation, for be
rejoined that Adhesion to the league involved
the scoeptanoe of no eohome. If ib did its
members would probably be much loos then
they now were. (Hear, hear,) He trusted,
moreover, that the league would never
have a scheme whioh could be called the
scheme of the league until that aoheme had
an almost certainty of immediate realization.
(Hear, hear.) The subject was of immense
importance end difficulty, and there were
eome who said that any scheme Was an im.
poosibility. For the league, therefore, to
pin its faith to one particular plan would
be to retard rather than to advance the ob.
ject they had in view, It was only by ven•
tilation and discussion, and after the matter
had been thoroughly threshed out and eon.
eldered, that we should ever arrive ab a
scheme affording a reasonable opportunity
of success. (Hear, hear.) Ho doubted,
too, whether the time had yet Done for
the summoning of snoh a conference as
has been suggested, for men would Dome to
it with their minds nob made up, with
schemes prude and undigested, and if the
oonferenoe were bo part without any practi.
osl result the scheme of Imperial Federation
would bo a great deal further off realizttien
than ab present, (Hear, hear.) A desire
for such a oonferenoe must come from the
colonies, and when that desire was ones
manifested he trusted there would be every
wish on the part of those who had the man-
agement of colonial affairs in thie country to
meet the desire. (Hear, hear.) He was.
however, by no means sure that the scheme
would be realized at the outset as a set sym-
metrical aoheme, applied at onoe to all the
colonies, for euoh o sohome, however com-
plete and brand new, would be out of have
many with the abaraoter and scope of the
British oonetltution. All b e developmerts
and changes whioh that constitution had
undergone had been the result of nabural
growth, and he believed that Imperial J'ed•
eration, if it was to be realized, would come
about in the same way—by Blow degrees
and in different ar b forme as regarded the in•
dividualof '
0 on
res. Whatever the oharaotor
and the degree of bhe federation of the
future might be, the subjeot was surrounded
with difficulbieo, and ib was the duty of the
league to encourage discussion and to foster
interest in the question both at home and in
the colonies. Already, in four years, it
has done much. The day had gone, he
believed for ever, when the colonies were
regarded as an encumbrance, or even with
indifference—(hear, hear)—and ita disap-
pearance had been accelerated by the action
of this league, (Hear, hear.) The league
WAS keeping alive the idea of closer union,
and ib had brought home to the mind of our
colonial fellow•euhjocts that we do oars for
them, and that we do desire a closer union,
(Hear, hear.) He trusted bhe day might
never Dome when any one of bhe ooloniee
would desire to separate from us ; but if
ever there should be a nearly unanimous
wish in any one of them to part company,
we should not be mad or foolish enough nob
to let that separation take pleoe with good
will. Separation, however, would bee lose,
no less to the Mother country bhan to the
oolony—perhsps even more to the latter
than to us. The union whioh exlated in.
volved no serious burden on ohe colon-
ies, ib did not hinder their free and
natural development, but it gave them a
tie with the historic past, It made
thein subjects of the British Empire,
whose good name and noble traditions were
as much theirs as ours ; and to break them-
selves from that continuity, to detach them.
selves from that historic past, would be to
them a great loss would be likely to dwarf
their ideas and aspiration, and to make
them lean, great than they would etherwiae
be. (Cheers.) He desired to see this bond
of common interest, affection and good -will
made stronger, firmer and more vigorous
even than it was to -day ; and ib was because
he believed that the Imperial Federation
League did muoh to stimulate and render
active this community of eentiment, and in.
tercet and regard, that he deolared that even
if its praotioal results Aare as small as Ito
enemies predicted they would be, it would
yob have well justified ire existence. (Ape
plants,)
The toast was drunk with enthusiasm.
Drunkenness in Belgium
Belgium obill holds its own as the moat
drunken oounbry of Eurepe. On an average
each mon, woman, and child consumes
yearly 240 quarte of beer and thirteen quarts
of spirits. It may be that Bavario ut drink
more beer than that, and Russians more
spirit++, but taking both together the Bel-
gian record la unrivalled. The governmenb
is at lash aroused to a nano of the evfle of
the situation, and some restrictive laws are
to be put in force. The right to coiled; by
legal process debtsincurredin drinking
houses has been abolished ; ib is forbidden
to sell drink to persons under 16 yaare of
age, and to sell any one liquor until he is
drunk is made a orime. The effect of these
laws will be looked for with interest, Ib
can soaroely fail to bo for good.
How to Wash Flannel Shirts.
Yee, we have had a good deal of complaint
from ousbom0re about the ehrinkingg of their
shirt++. All material will shrink nom ;
wo generally allow half an hash for flannel,
and if ib bo properly washed there la no rea.
eon why it should shrink perceptibly after
that. The proper Way 10 to souse the gar-
ment in
ar•mentin hot soapsuds—never rubbing b—
aud put ib repeatedly through a wringer,
The garment should never be wrung with
the hands and never put in told water,
A Recision nobleman hoe recently paid
1,200 roubles (5600) for a pair of mghtin•
galea that are gaid to render delightfully
various national molodiet,
London is so crowded with visiting Atm
erbium that those who have not engaged
their rooms in hotels. beforehand grand a
ohanoe of having to eleep In Trafalgar
square.
1'he Canadian North-West,
Until within a very few yeara, the wept
ed opinion, as to the oharaotor of the Cana
dins Northwest, was that, except as a hunt
Ing ground for fur.bearing animate, it was
ok little value. Even now wel)•iuformed
people have, as it general rule, a most made.
grate oouoepblon of its resourooe and im•
memo natural advantages,
Tho Canadian Senate has recently col•
looted a groat mace of Information In regard
to this territory, and es a reeulb have re.
vealod to the world the existence of a vast
region, po+eesefng o highly fertile 0011 and a
gonlel summer climate In a latitude eurprbs.
iogly near the polar sirale.
It has been shown that wheat clan be snoh
easefully grown at Fort Simpson, on the
Maokeozle River, in latitude 61051', or
eight hundred and sixtytwo miles north of
the northern boundary of the United States;
Mat barley is a (safe orop at Fort Norman,
ou the eam0 aver, in latitude 05 0 ; and that
potatoes ono be grown with fair interim
within the Artie zone. Ib is a revelation to
be informed that the Peace River country,
which line between 56 0 and 50 0 north lad.
tude, fa " almout semi torrid ; it is the
region of the osotus"
The Peaoo River ie a feeder to the
great
river and lete system, of whioh the Mee.
kenzie ie the outlet. The Maakanzle has
its source in the Groat Slave Lake, a vast
Inland coo, rivalling Superior in magnitude,
and empties into the Arabia Ocean, after a
course of one thousand one hundred miles.
With the groat lakes whioh ib drains, and
the tributary rivers reoeived by them in turn,
it forms one of the moat extensive waterways
in the world.
Prom the Bourne of the Peace River in the
mountains of British Columbia to the ocean
the distance is upwards of two thousand
five hundred miles, and for the greater part
of the way the navieation is excellent, in
soma placate; for the largest eteamors. The
Athabaeoa is another river of this system.
Ib is a thousand miles long, and empties its
waters into the lake of the same name,
which, in its turn, finds an outlet to Great
Slave Lake by manna of the dlave River.
The rivere named flow for nearly two
theusamd miles through a region highly
adapted to agriculture. The Canadian Sen-
ate Committee reports that they, with
the Saskatchewan River, drain an area of
eight hundred and sixty thousand square
miloa, of " which there is a possible area of
three hundred and sixteen thousand square
miles—over two hundred million acres—
imitable for wheat."
If this is even approximately oorreot, its
bearing upon the food supply of She hundreds
of millions of people who will inhobkb North
America within half a century, at preeenb
rates of inoreaee, oan hardly bo over•eati-
mated. Tho whole area sown to wheat in
the United States in 1888 was, according to
the reports of the Department of Agrioul.
tura, thirty-six million acres.
On first considerations ib will seem in
credible that conditions favorable to agrionl-
ture Dan exist at such high latitudes, but
wheu the explanation has been given, the
ease appears plain enough.
As is well known, elevation above the sea
level has a potent effect in determining tem-
perature. The Canadian Northwest is much
lower than the Western States, For a dis•
tanto of fifty miles east of the Rooky hioun•
Mine, the average elevation above the sea
level of the Union Pacific Railway ie five
bhoueand feet.
As we go norbhward there is a gradual
descent, until when the Mackenzie River
Valley le reached, the altitude is only three
hundred teeb. Ib is asserted that this dif-
ference of altitude is equal to thirteen de.
grass of latitude.
If a close examination of any good mop
of America is made, Ib will be seen that no
great river enters the Pacific) Ooean along
the coast of California and Oregon, and, ea
most people know, the mountains form a
lofty barrier bo the warm winds, whioh
sweep eastward over the Pacific. Bub just
at the northern boundary of Oregon, the
Columbia River debouche, and still further
north, a short distance above the interna-
tional boundary, the Fraeer River empties
Ito floods into tvneen Charlotte Sound.
The numerous tributaries of these great
rivers penetrate far into the mountains, no
far, indeed, that they interlock with the
upper breaches of bhe Saekatohewan, whioh
flows into Lake Winnipeg, and of the
Athabasca and Peace Rivers, already spoken
of.
Through the passes bhue formed, the Paci-
fic winds, bhe Chinooks, as they are called,
find their way out on the Canadian plebe],
and carry a genial Bummer climate far be-
yond the Arobio circle.
In addition to the Pacific winds, there Is a
constant current of air, warmed on the plains
west of the Mississippi, flowing northward.
Canada has ell rho disadvantage resulting
irom the seta =trent from the Polar region,
as prism? down over 1 abrader it drives the
isothermal linea :ar below the latitude
they ooeupy in Euro•:e. Ib is only a jueb
compensation, therefore, that the warm
currents, whioh ascend to supply the vacancy
ab the North, should render the climate of
the Canadian Northwest, for a largo part
ofthe year, very deughtful,
An important influence in determining
the agricultural capability of this north land
is the length of the summer days. In the
oentre of the Pewee River country, the long-
esb summer day it seventeen hours twenty •
eight minutes+ long, that la from sunrise to
Dumb, The prolonged sunlight promotes
rapid and vigorous growth.
it is a recognized fact that all plants are
produced in their greatest perfection at the
northern limit of bhe zone whioh they ober.
aotoriza. Wheat, rate and barley are ea.
eentially the products of the north temper.
ate zone. Renee wo would expect to find
them in their greatesb perfection in high
latitudes whore the conditions necessary for
their growth oan bo found. Ib is therefore
nob a matter of surprise Whab the beet wheat
shown at the Centennial Exhibition in Phila.
delphia was grown in the Peace River
valley—[Chas. H. Lugrin, in "Youth's
Companion,"
Tried to Make Eim at Rome.
'
"You couldn't give me a suite of two
rooms with a babh.room adjoining, could
you 2" asked a young and methotfo neophyte
of a Montana hotel proprietor.
"A what?" asked the dazed Montanian,
"A suite of rooms."
" A whioh 2"
" Why, a suite of rooms—e, pahlor and a
bed ohambah.
"How many is there of you 1" asked the
dazed landlord.
" No one is with me,"
"And you want two full rooms to your•
self, and a bath -room thrown in Well, if
you ain't got the eheok 1 don't know who
has. Sere, maw, show ilia chap up to that
little room over the kitchen that ain't got
but four beds in it. He wants to be kinder
private, he does, And he want+ a bath, too,
so you give him a reser arab soap and the
towel after the tceb be done With it, and than
show him where the pump i+, Whig ain't eek.
aotly Beaton
but when a ant from the Hub
immure me with oom'ny he gets the beet wo
got, he dobe, "-1Drake's Magazine,
T
1